Together?
by EdenParadise
Summary: Damon and Elena are finally together, but with the pressure coming from her friends, Jenna, and Stefan's unexpected return, Elena is starting to wonder if it was ever really worth it. Sequel to "Game On Damon."
1. Morning Time

_A/N: Hey there, you crazy kids! I am officially awesome… You wanna know why? Huh? Huh? Do ya? Do ya? Okay, now I'm sounding like my brother. Anyways, I don't know where this plot is really going, but I do know there is going to be a whole ass load of Damon/Elena. Elena is going back to school (much to Damon's disappointment), and then Elena had to figure out a way to tell Aunt Jenna and Jeremy why she is always going to be with Damon…and in Damon's bed. Oh, teenage angst…gotta love the stuff. Alright, now on with the Damon and Elena action! Whoop!_

_._

_._

_There's a drumming noise inside my head, it starts when you're around._

_Swear that you could hear it; it makes such an almighty sound._

_There's a drumming sound inside my head that throws me to the ground._

_I swear that you could hear it; it makes such an almighty sound._

_Louder than silence, louder than bells, sweeter than heaven, and hotter than hell._

_X Florence + The Machine- Drumming Song X_

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"Damon, I have school." I said the words and I almost believed them myself but the feel of Damon nestling between my legs was enough to erase all reasonable thoughts from my mind.

I could practically feel the lazy smirk radiating off Damon as the bright sunny light from the window shone against his hair. "Just because you have it doesn't mean you really need to go."

"So now you're trying to corrupt me? Damon, I can't spend all of eternity in your bed." I just forgot to add the part where I really wanted to, but Aunt Jenna would kill me.

Uhg. Aunt Jenna. I still hadn't broken the news to her. For all she knew, I was at the Boarding House seven days a week because of Stefan. I didn't even know where Stefan was! Pretty soon the lies were going to catch up to me and then Jenna would go at Damon with a stake.

"Come on…" I kissed Damon's forehead and tried to gently wiggle out from underneath him. He was still half asleep, his hair in a wild disarray. I knew there was no reasoning with him right now. Damon at his worst was when he just woke up, even though he made a cute puppy look ferocious. If I told him that he would do something along the lines of throwing me out the window and then putting me in his bed again and doing something your mother wouldn't approve of. That was the best kind of torture.

Damon only sighed contently and proceeded to push his head further into the crook of my neck. His main goal in life was to make me see nothing, smell nothing and feel nothing but Damon Salvatore. And my God was it working.

I was almost temped to say 'the hell with it' and bag the first day of school, but then I thought of my mother. What would she say? Well first of all she would probably tell me that I was the luckiest girl in the whole damn world but then she would also ruin the mood by telling me that she would never do something like that. She would make me feel awesome one minute and then like a complete ass the next. I missed that; I missed her.

Knowing that actually going to school was now inevitable because of my imaginary talk with my mom, I lightly patted Damon's butt and slid out from underneath him. I watched, amused, as he rolled over and had the worst attempt at a wicked/not amused look. I was infectious to him, meaning that he now was basically a softy.

"I hate school, that's why I dropped out of collage…a long time ago. You can always reconsider." Damon rubbed his eyes and squinted into the sun. "What is with all this light?"

I chuckled slightly and gracefully lifted off my shirt and put on the blouse I had brought from home last night. Actually I kind of stole it; Jenna and Jeremy were sleeping and I wanted to keep it that way. "Someone's in a mood. I have to go to school to get in a good collage and then get a good job. It's how things work now-a-days. I can't just drop everything and pretend that it doesn't matter."

Damon rolled his eyes and pushed his hand through his hair, causing it to stick up on end as I pushed my legs through my jeans. "Sure you can. That's the beauty of choice." I could feel his eyes on me as I put on my jacket and applied some of my make-up. "Can't you at least take a shower? It would make me very happy…"

I snorted and eyed him from the reflection in the mirror. "I would, but we took a bath last night. Surly you remember it." I smiled sweetly as Damon squinted his eyes.

"Are you sure that you aren't actually trying to corrupt me?" There was a wicked glint in the smoldering eyes that I would defiantly take credit for. Not just everyone could make him look like a flustered hot mess.

I laughed, a small tinkling sound to even my own ears, and jumped back on the bed big enough for twenty, semi-tackling him in the process.

This time he smiled a true genuine smile that I had seen more and more of these days. Not the smirk or the quick uptake of lips, but an actual broad smile that I loved to see.

He chuckled as I kissed the hard edge of his collarbone and in the hollow of his neck, only before making a trial down his chest and to his stomach.

"Shouldn't you be going now? I can drive if you want." I couldn't force back my smile as his voice wavered and sounded slightly breathless. Nobody could do that to him either.

My hands faltered at the strings of his flannel pants and I pouted. "But I thought you didn't want me to leave."

Damon gently pushed the hair on my left away from my neck and kissed me there, making me jump and then smile. He whispered in my ear then, "The sooner you leave the sooner you can come back."

"Well in that case…" I pushed myself off him and jumped back off the bed. "Put a shirt on. I have Calculus to be confused over and Literacy to be bored about."

I swung open his door and made my way down the stairs, grabbing an apple -Damon made sure to keep human food- and dashed outside.

The day was beautiful; it suited my mood perfectly. And then, giving a bright smile at nothing in particular, I plopped myself down on the driving side of Damon's car. Now I see why people always threw themselves at him: A chance to drive this amazing car. I bit my lip as I stroked the leather interior. One of these days I was going to steal this car. Wonder what Damon would think about that…

I quickly looked up as the front door opened and closed a couple minutes later. There he was in all his Damon-like glory. Wearing a white shirt, leather jacket and dark jeans, knowing that under the dark sunglasses there were two shining blue eyes… until he saw where I was placed in his car.

He stopped and looked at me with an almost amused expression. "Okay, it's one thing to completely cock-block me, but I have to draw the line when you actually think you have the right to drive my car."

I didn't say anything, just held out my hand towards him and tried to give him the saddest expression I could possibly muster. I watched as he shook his head and tossed the jingling keys into my outstretched hand.

"This is ridiculous. Why am I even coming if I can't drive?"

I put the keys in the ignition and heard the car coming to a roaring start and then I turned towards him. "One, because you are way too obsessed with the car. Two, because I really love this car. And three," I lightly touched his slightly scratchy cheek and smiled. "Because you love me."

His lips twitched and there was something I couldn't place in his voice. "Just drive."

I smiled and faced the sun, gripping the steering wheel and putting the hood of the car down. "You are way too easy, Damon Salvatore."

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"Oh God, Please tell me that was Stefan driving Damon's car."

I watched as Caroline and Bonnie made their way over. Caroline's hair was glowing and glistening in the sun and her high heels clicked along the pavement. Out of the corners of my eyes I saw that almost all the boys were watching her. Bonnie just looked nervous, as if she was going to bolt at any sign of Stefan or Damon or any other vampire around.

"Umm… Well, not exactly." I clutched my jacket tighter to my chest, feeling an odd breeze despite the post-summer glow. "Stefan…had to go somewhere for a while. I don't really know when he'll be back…"

Caroline bristled up like an angry cat. "Don't lie to me, Elena Gilbert. It hurts me to think that you actually think I am stupid enough to believe you're pathetic ass lying."

This time, I felt a little hurt at her accusation. "I'm not lying, Caroline. Stefan's not here right now and I don't know when he'll be back." There must have been a little too much venom in my voice because she took a stumbling step back.

This time Bonnie was the one to step forward and say something. "So that's why you were driving his car and making kissy faces at him? Damon never lets anybody even touch his car." She briefly looked at Caroline.

We were stuck in our own little bubble of lies and feedback and I had had enough. I simply snapped under the pressure. "Yes! Fine, then. I slept with Damon Salvatore! Happy? Why don't I just say it loud enough for everybody to hear! I fucked Damon Salvatore and I liked it!"

Every person within walking distance or hearing distance turned to me with open mouths. I looked around, suddenly very self-cautious and smoothed my hair back.

"See? I wasn't lying. I have to get to class."

I knew one thing for certain. I was going to be the talk of the whole entire school and the gossip of the whole entire town. I was going to be known as the girl who everybody thought was just another one-night stand slut to Damon. Yes, I knew that Damon was infamous to this town. It was so small that he and Stefan was probably the only good thing about it for a while. Damon was the hot, sexy, promiscuous one and Stefan was his hot younger brother.

Screw. My. Life.

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_A/N: Did you like it? Please, leave me a review and let me know!_


	2. Crazy

_Thanks for some of the reviews guys! I want to make this a real long story and I know that some people really liked the other story that I did to this so if you guys could do me a huge favor and spread the word about this then that would be great! _

_Also, I can't believe that we have to wait until April 7__th__ to watch the next Vampire Diaries. Life can be a real bitch sometimes._

_I have a question for you guys though. I would really appreciate it if you would answer it. I don't know how to separate some of my paragraphs that jump between scenes. On the first chapter of this story when Elena told Damon that he was easy and then it jumped to Caroline asking if that was Stefan was in the car I had meant to put a line between it but it didn't show up when I posted to it. If you guys could tell me how to do that then I would be forever grateful. I'm kinda OCD when it comes to that crap so it's really starting to bug me._

_Thanks! _

_**VDVDVDVDVDVDVDVD**_

_**X **__It's been a long time coming, I've been shaky for days._

_I bite my tongue but I'm sick of the ways I gotta a couple of keys I need you to play._

_It's so good to know you, I can't wait to show you, my, my love love love love love. _

_The feeling I get, the feeling._

_My love love love love love love._

_Get under my skin, come touch this mouth. __**X**_

_**- **__Mouth - Ke$sha_

_**VDVDVDVDVDVDVDVD**_

I could feel the other students eyes on my tense back as I shifted uncomfortably in my hard seat. It seemed that even the teachers were staring at me strangely. Had they heard too? Had everyone heard my damn confession? My math teacher was probably thinking, 'poor girl. Just yet another girl helpless to the charms of Damon Salvatore.' Yeah, that wasn't the half of it.

_When I get back to the Boarding House that boy is in for a world of hurt, _I thought fiercely. Please, he would probably laugh at me. Accusing him of being too pretty and shouting that I had slept with him for all of Mystic Falls to hear. I was gonna have to think of better threats. I was starting to lose my edge.

If only they would stop staring at me. My palms were starting to sweat and my eyes twitched back and forth between the teacher who's name I had somehow managed to forget and the clock. I had a couple of minutes to go and then I would be free of the judgmental eyes and lingering stares.

If this was how complete strangers were going to act then how would Jenna and Jeremy act? I already knew that Jeremy wouldn't be to happy, infect he would probably try to kill me…or Damon. Jenna would either try to steal him from me or hate me, tell me he's to old for me (she doesn't know the half or it) or that he was going to corrupt me. He actually kind of already had. Sane, non-corrupted people didn't yell to the world who they were sleeping with, no matter how insane of crazy they are. I knew that sooner or later that all this vampire crap was going to catch up to me.

I jumped when I felt a small taping on my shoulder. Turning around I was faced with a smiling girl. She was pretty but seemed to lack character in all of the senses. She didn't seem too bright either.

Making sure that the teacher couldn't see me- I still had some dignity left- I turned and smiled timidly at her. "Yes?"

She returned the smile and pointed suddenly to the ground. "I dropped me pencil. Do you mind grabbing it for me?"

I shook my head and reached for the pencil lazily rolling under my chair. Stupid pencils. They had it so easy.

I quickly gave it back to her, concerned with my almost talking to an inanimate object.

The same girl tapped on my shoulder again as I turned back around. I managed to keep the smile plastered on my face even though she was starting to get on my nerves.

"Sorry," she said shyly "I just wanted to ask you a question. I hope you don't find this ride but…"

I wanted to tap my foot on the ground or snap my fingers against the table. It was a bad habit of mine. Damon knew that when I lost interest with whatever someone was saying I would do it. It bugged the hell out of him and he constantly reminded my not to do it. For a blood sucking demon he sure was prime and proper about most things in life.

"Yes?" My tone sounded slightly peeved and she blushed.

"Sorry, but aren't you the one who's sleeping with Damon? Damon Salvatore?"

My eyes squinted and I turned around fully in my chair so I was facing her. Being in the back of the room I hoped that the teacher wouldn't see me or the girl who occupied my attention.

"And who told you that? Let me guess, you heard me this morning."

She nodded her head. "Even if I didn't hear it this morning the school is pretty small. Word gets around pretty fast. My guess is that the news will be all around town by the end of the day." She smiled, hopefully trying to reassure me and make a joke all at the same time. I almost appreciated that.

"Yeah, that's exactly what I was thinking." I chuckled and innocently twisted my hair around my index finger. "And how exactly do you know Damon?"

He blue eyes lighted in delight and she turned an awfully pretty shade of pink. She looked smitten. "Everyone knows him. He's been the talk of the town ever since he arrived with Stefan. Speaking of Stefan, weren't you two going out? What happened to him?"

I was admittedly engaged in the conversation now and she distracted me from the clock so I answered, though it brought up memories that I would have rather not brought up. "Well, Stefan had to go out of town for a while, a family thing I guess, and Damon and I were around each other a lot…He pushed my buttons but somehow I managed to fall for him. Hard."

Her petite face lit up again. "I'm a sucker for a love story like that. So cliché but hey, it keeps the world going round."

"Yeah," I looked down at my finger tips, a little embarrassed my open confession. "My friends don't really like him so they confronted me this morning, asking me what the hell I was doing with him and I just sort of snapped, ya know?"

She nodded eagerly. "Friends mean well but in the end you do what you have to do. It's what keeps us sane."

I looked down at my feet. Her sentence had shaken me more than I wanted to admit. "Yeah, I guess your right. Anyway, I just wished that people wouldn't make such a big deal about it. We're dating so therefore I can do whatever I want to with him."

"I don't think it so much has to do with that. I think that people will be more jealous than anything else. It's not everyday two hot brothers captivate this town. They're fresh meat and come on, they are completely gorgeous."

I giggled, which surprised me. I missed this, having a normal girly conversation unrelated to the supernatural world. I missed laughing about stupid things and shopping and talking about boys and gossiping about celebrities. I couldn't talk to Caroline, she was a little too clueless for me and Bonnie just stressed me out. She hated Damon and was wary of Stefan. What else could we have talked about?

"What's you're name?" I spoke only seconds later.

"Oh," She stuck out her hand, the fingers painted a rosy pink. "It's Ellie. Ellie Garcia. "

I took her hand daintily. "That's pretty. My names Ele-"

"I know who you are."

My eyebrows scrunched together and I let go of her warm hand. "How do you know that?"

She looked at me strangely. "Well, why wouldn't I know you? Your about the most popular girl in school. Not everybody is as beautiful as you, you know."

I waved my hand, trying to brush of the compliment. "Things like that used to be important to me. Not since my parents died though."

Ellie looked at me with sympathetic clear eyes. "I know about them. It was all over the news at the time. I'm really sorry about them. If it makes you feel any better I had a dog who got ran over when I was nine."

Her tone was light and bubbly and I couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, that makes me feel wonderful."

Running her fingers through her blonde hair she looked up to the teacher. "Isn't it amazing how they never catch us? They go into that whole teacher mode where they teach you stuff but then they have no clue if your actually listening." She gave off a lopsided grin. "That's why I want to be a writer when I grow up. That way people have a choice to listen to me if they want. I wouldn't have to force them. And who knows, maybe I'll grow up, write hundreds of best-selling books, own a mansion and then marry Orlando Bloom."

"Ha," I snorted quietly "Well, I did hear that the whole cougar thing was coming back."

I jumped slightly when the bell sounded and Ellie reached for her bag. Instead of grabbing mine too like I had originally planned and booking it out of the room, I found myself lingering behind.

I had found someone to relate to and I wasn't going to let this opportunity pass me by.

"Look," I spoke on impulse and lightly took her shoulder in my hand. "I know that your probably really busy and everything and I know that we just met but I was wondering if you would like to get some coffee. It's not that far and I could buy…" I stopped and laughed nervously. "I'm babbling, sorry."

She hiked her bag higher on her shoulder and smiled at me as we walked in the sun light. Her sundress fluttered in the light breeze. "I would love to, Elena."

I could have kissed her. My life was begging for some normal and I was guaranteed to get some.

"Great. I just need to do something first-" I looked up as the roaring of a motor cut through my train of thought. It wasn't just any motor. It was Damon's. I told him to come pick me up. "Well, speak of the devil and the devil shall appear." I muttered.

I glanced over at Ellie. She only had eyes for Damon. Figures. "Just wait here. I need to tell him something."

I hurriedly went over to Damon, who was waiting in his car for me. I smiled at him and leaned against the car door, giving him a quick peck on the lips. "Alright, how much would you hate me if I said I won't be coming home with you today."

Damon raised his eyebrows and took his sunglasses off. He must have really been surprised, I knew how much the sun bothered his eyes. "So you're saying that you actually have a life beyond your alcoholic vampire boyfriend?"

I chuckled nervously. "Well, it was bound to happen sometime. You can't keep me holed up in you're bed all the time. It's indecent and people would start to talk."

"Yeah, I guess they would." He gave me a true genuine smile, the ones that I love but where rare.

"Oh and before I forget," I started to walk away. "I told the whole school that I'm sleeping with you."

Damon looked surprised again and then quickly composed himself, yelling after me, "Kinky, I like it!"

I shot him a disapproving look and looked at all the people staring at me and then Damon, whispering to other people. I had every right in my mind to yell, "Yes, he is the guy I am screwing! Right over there!" I quickly refrained myself from doing so and grabbed Ellie before I could really embarrass myself for another lifetime.

"Let's go before I do something I'll regret." I pulled Ellie along after me.

She only replied with a, "He is way too hot."

She didn't know the half of it.

_**VDVDVDVDVDVDVDVDVD**_

"Don't you think he's a little old for you though?"

I traced the rim of my steaming coffee, nodding my head slightly. "Well he's only about twenty-three." I winced at how old that sounded even to my own ears. It was better than telling her that he was really about 168.

"I don't know," she smiled. "Seems a bit old to me. I mean, I wouldn't know what to do around him. What is he like, anyway?"

I sighed heavily. This was a long story. I settled back in my chair and let the sun bask in my face. "Damon's…complicated. Don't get me wrong, I love him, but sometimes we really get on each others nerves. We are so alike, both head strong and persistent and most times we happen to speak our minds, a kind of compulsive mouth if you please. Not just any girl would know how to handle something like that." I stopped and looked at her.

"Wow," she whispered. "He does sound complicated." She looked at me dead on this time. "Alright, I'm gonna ask another personal question again."

I took a sip of my drink and winced as it scolded my tongue. "Shoot, I don't really care."

"Well," she cleared her throat and started at her cup. "I don't mean to embarrass you or anything but I was just wondering…Is he good in bed?"

I chuckled. "I knew you were going to ask that sooner or later. He's not exactly good…it's more of like amazing. My theory is that he was a true sex God in another life."

_**VDVDVDVDVDVDVDVDVD**_

Damon, candlelight and two hours spent alone in his bed was the best night that I could ever ask for. I was almost regretting having a drink with Ellie, knowing that this was what I was missing back at the Boarding House.

But as Damon nipped at my neck I could feel a slow smile forming on my skin.

"Can I ask you a question? A series one?" He unconsciously smoothed his hand on my bare thigh and I bit my lip, compressing a deep, almost embarrassing moan.

I groaned a sigh of disapproval. "No. No talking."

His tongue made a slow lick up my neck and to the shell of my ear. I shivered.

He whispered there, "Please, it's important."

I groaned once again and slipped out from under him, meaning to be rude but actually causing more arousal as I slid against his bare skin. I propped my back against the headboard. "You really know how to kill a mood." I checked my nails and pretended to be bored, even though I really just wanted him to jump my bones already. "What is it this time?"

Damon rubbed at his eyes and stared at me. "Why did you tell everybody you were sleeping with me?"

I couldn't choke down the blush that was creeping up on my face. I was doing that a lot, blushing uncontrollably.

"Because I'm an idiot with anger management problems." I sighed and rubbed my temples. What else was new.

Damon just chuckled and kissed my left hip bone, causing me to stir and him to smile again. We were like our own personal cycle of feedback. "So now I'm dating the one with issues. I thought that role was given out to me."

I shrugged my shoulders. "Roles can always be switched. You know that better than anyone." I gave a cheeky grin and watched, amused, as he nodded with eager agreement. "Anyways, have you ever had one of those days where you just don't want to take any crap from anybody?"

"Elena," he pointed at himself. "Look who you're talking to. I never take any crap from anybody, no matter who it is."

I lifted a single brow. "Please, you're the biggest softy I know."

Damon's mouth opened wide and his eyes squinted. He looked like he was going to yell at me but I was going to have none of that tonight. We did that on a regular basis anyway.

Before he could even get a word out I caught him in a kiss and rubbed against his…lower hemisphere, hoping to shut him up. "Please, I don't want to fight. We can do that tomorrow."

"Wait," he detached our lips. "I have another question."

I sighed. "Of course you do. You know, your very nosy."

He obviously ignored that jibe and stared in my eyes, almost like he was trying to compel me. "Do you remember the first time we slept together?"

I went back to the beginning of the summer, the night that I put down my foot down and said that I was going to put a stop to all that sexual tension and give in to him.

"Yeah, I also remember the time you tried to drag me to Paris and then having the mud fight of my life. I actually remember all of it. No offence, but for a while there I really hated you."

Damon smiled, like what I had said didn't affect him at all. "I don't doubt it. You are the most stubborn girl I have ever met."

I frowned at the word girl. It made me think of what Ellie said earlier about him being older than me. "Damon?"

"Hmm?" He murmured against my skin.

"Does it bother you that I'm only seventeen years old? Wouldn't you like someone who is more you're age? Like in their early twenties?"

Damon didn't say anything for the longest time. I was worried that he hadn't heard me at all. When I was about to ask him again he brought up his hands to cup my cheeks.

His voice was probably the softest I had ever heard it before since I had met him. Damon was a particularly loud person to say the least.

"Why would you even think something like that?"

"Don't be so melodramatic, Damon." I removed his hands from my face and felt a ping in my chest as his face fell. "This isn't 1864 anymore. People talk, Damon. A seventeen year old with a twenty-three year old? Doesn't sound very decent to me. It sounds wrong." I bit my lip, trying to keep my big mouth shut. "Wait, I didn't mean that."

But if there was one thing I knew about Damon it was that when he heard something he didn't like he was beyond hearing any other reasoning or bargaining. Before I could even respond he was up and out of the bed and getting his jeans back on.

"Damon, wait," I tried getting off the bed and grabbing his bare, hunched over shoulder and pulling him to look at me. That didn't work. So instead I did what any desperate girlfriend would do. I made it sound like it was his fault. "You always get like this, you know. Whenever you hear something you don't like you automatically shut down. I'm not Stefan, you can't just shut me out and then expect me to move on. Your so like me…it's infuriating."

"Well, sorry I can't be the perfect guy for you." His voice was bitter and cold. It made me take a step back.

I had reached my second breaking point today. I slapped him acrossed the chest. Hard enough to leave a red hand print. I know it didn't hurt him but it helped vent some of my pent up frustration. "But that's just it, Damon. You're too perfect. It pisses me off. You piss me off. Why are you laughing?"

I wanted to slap that damn smirk off his face. I was trying to have a series conversation with him and he couldn't even take me seriously. Of all the nerve…

But that was when I got it. Why he was laughing. Her was I, the 5'5 girl, completely naked, acting like I could take on a vampire that completely out weighed me and was almost a full head taller than me. I was like a Chihuahua trying to take on the over sized Pit Bull that was abused when he was younger.

I flopped on the bed, giving up. "You make me crazy, but I'm sure you know that."

Damon's eyes twinkled with a twin light. "You better believe it, Honey."


	3. Meeting With The Devil

_ Alright! So here's to being almost 5 months late on this update. I have found out that if people beg me enough to continue something then I will continue it out of pure guilt. I have almost forgotten were I was originally going with this story and I am pretty sure that I have lost my once awesome mojo. So please don't hate me too much. I am only 14 and pretty much stupid like that. I have tried to make this chapter very long so that hopefully I can make up for how much I suck at this job I love you guys!_

"So, since you practically told the whole human race that you are sleeping with your alcoholic vampire boyfriend, does that mean I can tell all my friends that I'm sleeping with you…and that you have a birthmark on the inside of your-"

"One," I cut in before Damon could say something both mortifying and completely inappropriate. "You don't have any friends. You only have me and two; if you tell anyone about that birthmark then I will slap you so hard that your dead father will feel it." I had the grim satisfaction of watching Damon's smirk slowly fall from his lips. He stuck his tongue out at me. "In plus," I started from my side of Damon's bed. "I doubt that anyone really heard my little…spur of the moment confession."

Damon snorted as he put his long arms into his favorite leather jacket. "Is that what you're calling it? And you're right by the way."

Wow, never thought I would see the day when Damon admitted he was wrong. Well, there was a first time for everything. I scowled at nothing in particular and turned back to the mirror, carefully applying more lip-gloss.

"But you're only right because the whole world didn't hear. But I am pretty sure that any vampire within hearing range did. And may I remind you that the range for a vampire is pretty damn big." Damon spoke nonchalantly, like he was just giving me a friendly reminder on some random fact, but I knew better. I had cracked this whole Damon code a long time ago.

So I just pretended that I had no clue what he was talking about. "I honestly don't know what you mean. As far as I'm concerned there are no vampires except you around here." I mean, it wasn't _all_ a lie. But we didn't know where Stefan had gone. He didn't even have to go in the first place! But if I had gotten dumped by my boyfriend for my sister then I guess I would have booked it out of town too.

A fresh wave of quilt had spread over my face, making my eyes darker and my lips tighten in a noticeable scowl. Talking about Stefan that way, even if it was in my head, just didn't seem right. I had loved him. I still do love him, but more as a sister than anything else. It just wasn't fair. Why did I have to choose in the first place? Why did they both have to be so wonderful in their own way?

I slammed the lip-gloss down on the dresser harder than I meant to, shaking the antique mirror against my force. "It doesn't even matter anymore, Damon. It is what it is. If Stefan heard me, then fine. He already knows I chose you instead. He was bound to figure out anyway." It sounded like I was trying to reassure myself more than anything. "And I would really appreciate it if you didn't bring up Stefan in the first place. Or imply it or whatever you were trying to do."

I expected to hear some snappy comeback from Damon but all I heard was the chirping from the serene birds outside of his window. _That_ wasn't right. Damon always had something to say back. When I looked over he was looking at me with sympathetic blue eyes. I could clearly see my reflection in them. I looked scared out of my mind. "Damon?" I hoped it wasn't what I thought it was. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

Damon continued to say nothing, shaking his head softly. I hoped that meant he didn't have anything bad to say. Either that or I was majorly screwed.

I gnawed on my lip gently. "Are you shaking your head because you have nothing to say to me or because you're afraid of telling me really bad news? I can never really tell with you."

He suddenly took a deep breath and moved a hand through his dark hair, making it stand up on end. "Maybe I should tell you a little bit later. Like after we go see Jenna."

That was probably a good idea because at the mention of Jenna's name I broke out in a cold sweat. She still didn't know what was going on. She didn't know why I was spending all my time at the Boarding House, or that I was even at the Boarding House and she most definitely didn't know about me and Damon. Maybe news from the school got back to her though. It wouldn't be surprising. She didn't even know that Stefan was in Italy trying to track down my evil doppelganger and somewhere in between that time I found herself falling for Damon…hard. And I was sure that all hell would break loose when I told her about what I was really doing; heating it up in Damon's bed, shower, floor and couch. But I really didn't need to go into details, did I?

"Yeah," I took a shaky breath to compose myself. It was Saturday. I should have been having fun with my new freedom, or at least what lasted of it, and not worrying about all that supernatural crap. "Maybe we should." I f what Damon told me was really bad news then it would probably just screw the whole meeting with Jenna up. When she would be asking my where in the hell I had been I might just burst into tears. Maybe that was a good thing considering tears always seemed to sober Jenna's rage up just a tad bit.

I stood up from my spot and looked at the room. "Well, I sure did trash the place." Damon's normally clean and tidy room was covered in my clothes that he managed to sneak out of my own room. My makeup was strewn across the length of the cabinet with the mirror attached and even from here I could see my toiletries in the bathroom. "Too bad you don't have room service. Sure would have come in handy." I managed to give Damon a small smile from where I was standing.

Damon walked over to where I was; each step as graceful as the last. "Yeah, if I didn't know any better than I would have sworn that this was a much larger version of your room. It's kind of sad." He suddenly leaned over, scooping something in his hand. It was my pink underwear. "But then again…sometimes you can't complain."

I punched him lightly in the arm but then made up for it by grabbing his hand. It was warm in my grip and the ring he wore glinted in the streaming sun, causing pretty patterns to glow on the opposite wall. "I think we better go before I change my mind."

Damon smiled at me, flashing bright white teeth in my direction. "You ready to go get yelled at?" He tossed my undergarment on the edge of his bed, like he wanted the whole world to know that I was his. His and his only that is.

"Well, better late than never is what my mom always used to say. Didn't we originally tell Jenna that I was away at a summer camp or something?"

Damon shrugged, dragging me along and out of his room. "I think so but I don't really remember."

I quickly followed him down the stairs and made my way over to the grand door, putting my shoes on in the process. "But how come she never called here? She knows that if I didn't come home then I would've come here. Don't you think she would know that it's called summer camp for a reason? Summer's over and school has started. She has to know that I should be home by now or at least here."

Damon disappeared around a corner, probably to the kitchen, and the appeared before me, an apple in his hand. I took it with a silent 'thanks' even though my stomach was in knots over what I was about to endure.

"Oh, she's called." I looked at Damon, the apple hanging from my mouth. There was a light smile on his perfect mouth and a glint of pure joy in those cobalt eyes.

"I'm sorry," I held up one finger, trying to figure this out. "Can you run that one by me again? What do you mean she called? How did I not know about this? If I answered her calls and told her I was over here then maybe I wouldn't be getting yelled at in about a couple of minutes."

"I know, but I like watching you suffer. It's pretty funny. In plus, if you told her that you were over here after coming back from this so called 'summer camp' then she probably would have told you to come home. And I for one would not have been okay with that." He grinned suddenly, a real Cheshire cat grin. "And then we wouldn't have been able to get in double digits."

I groaned and yanked open the heavy door, smirking when Damon grimaced and covered his eyes with his sunglasses. The sun was exceptionally bright today; something I'm sure Damon could have felt right about now. "You really don't like making things easy for me, do you?" I stepped out into the bright sunlight and padded down the stairs. Up front his car looked extra shiny and very expensive. Too bad Damon cared for it like it was his own flesh and blood. I wasn't even really aloud to touch it.

"I was just using logical thinking. I did you a solid actually. If you had to go back home then you wouldn't have been able to spend all that time with me."

I rolled my eyes and muttered accusing words along the lines of 'jack-ass,' something that didn't go unnoticed by Damon. "I hope you know that if you take the O out of your name you would get 'damn,' as in 'Damn, why did I ever agree to go out with this conceited jerk?'

"Yeah, well I heard that in some languages the name Elena just means annoying and bitter."

I plopped down in the comforting leather of the seat after almost ripping the door of its hinges, relaxing in it as a headache formed between my eyebrows. I still had the energy to scoff at Damon's ridiculous accusation. "Okay, Damon I have a C in Foreign Languages and even I know that is complete bull. At least my name doesn't sound close to 'demon.' And why would it matter if I had to go home? You could have just climbed up my window for goodness sake!"

Damon pushed the keys in the ignition and started the car, the rumble of the engine deafening my ears. "Well, I could have but my bed is bigger _and_ you are _way_ too loud in bed.

My mouth dropped to the floor. I was the loud one in bed? And how the hell did this conversation turn to this? "I'm not talking about sex!" I blushed when I realized that we weren't driving yet and passing joggers looked at me like I was nuts. Well, I was. So they all could just suck it. "I'm talking about how we could have easily seen each other even if I was staying in _my _house and in _my_ room. The way it's supposed to be! Not everything has to be about sex, Damon. I swear sometimes that's all I feel you want me for…" I grimaced as that made its way through my lips.

I could tell Damon was using his new found frustration on the gas of his car because when he started driving it felt like we were being launched out of a rocket. Or maybe this was how he drove all the time, I wasn't so sure though.

"Well, maybe I should have told Jenna that you were over with me then. Maybe I should have told her that while she was out of her mind with worry on where you were when you were supposed to be home that you were screwing me. Apparently that's all I'm good for to some people." He said the last part quietly and I felt a sharp pang in my heart.

I always managed to say the wrong thing at the wrong time. First I bring up that our ages in human years were too big a difference a couple days ago, and now this. He probably felt like this many times, deep down. I bet that whenever he got with a girl in his past life that he felt it was just sex. He probably felt like everybody only liked him because he was good looking enough to be liked. And he wasn't trying to be self-absorbed and cocky when he thought that; it was just the truth. And know I just managed to make things 99.9% worse. I could never quite manage to keep my mouth shut sometimes, especially when we bickered like this. But we bickered all the time, even when we weren't together and I should have expected by now that Damon would have been the one to get his feeling hurt. I remembered when there was a time when I thought he didn't have feelings. But then I saw his face when he found out Katherine was gone. Then I knew; I knew that he did feel something in that cold dead body of his and that his heart did ache even if it didn't beat like it was supposed to.

Damon continued to weave throughout the winding road, his face an unreadable mask behind those mirrored Ray bans. It made me wonder what he was really thinking. He couldn't possibly think that I was just using him for my own personal gain, could he? Who did he think I was, Katherine? And how did he manage to make this seem like it was my fault when I was the one being offended? Was this what they called reverse psychology? Well, it sure did work.

Deciding to be the bigger person, I was the one that spoke up first. "Damon, you know that I would never use you like that. I'm not that kind of person. You know that better than anyone." I said it so quietly that I wasn't sure that even with his super human hearing that he would be able to hear me. It sure didn't look like he was listening, let alone actually hearing me.

Finally he spoke. "My whole life I've been used, Elena. I guess the fact that someone actually likes me for me is going to take some getting used to." Despite the grim tone his voice held the fact that he smiled at the end made me feel loads better.

I was most certainly satisfied by our little Dr. Phil session. It felt like every day I was learning something new and interesting about him. We had about 168 years to make up for so I was sure there had to be some weird things about his childhood buried deep within him. But as soon as I settled back into my seat I heard Damon mumble something under his breath. It sounded remotely like 'but you're still by far the loudest in bed.'

Instead of starting up another round of bickering like I usually would have in other situations, I did the only other thing I could think of without hurting his feelings again. I pressed the palm of my hand against his upper thigh, lightly stroking and then said, 'you better believe it, Honey.' This was exactly what he had said a couple nights ago when I told him that he drove me crazy.

"But I'm sure you can get pretty loud yourself, especially when I do that one thing with my mou-" I chuckled when I saw Damon turn towards me, a big old grin on his face.

"I think I've finally managed to corrupt you. I knew it was only a matter of time before you cracked."

"Was that your life goal right there? To turn me over to the dark side so I could be with you? Or was it just easier to get in my pants that way?" I snickered and reached for the zipper to his pants, slowly pulling it down and undoing the button.

"You know if we crash that not only will it be your fault but I could just walk away while you probably couldn't." His voice implied that he was completely in check with his emotions but I knew him, knew that just on the edge of his voice was the beginnings of desire. I found out that I was good at tampering with this side of him. It was a lot easier than you would think it would be. Just because you were a vampire didn't mean that you couldn't get down and dirty and have some actual emotion behind it. Damon was living, well non-living, proof of that.

"Well then I guess you better be extra careful… and hope that there are no oncoming deer." I toyed with the edges of his black boxers, leaning over so that my hair was fanned out against his thighs. This really was dangerous, especially since I wasn't really in my seatbelt like I was supposed to.

Lifting the bottom of his shirt up, I pressed my lips against the soft, warm flesh right above his bellybutton. I absently wondered what it would look like if people in passing cars saw us. Hopefully they would be so busy with their own lives that they wouldn't notice me wrapped up in mine. Really, the whole object of what I was doing was to prove to Damon just how loud I knew he could get. And I couldn't do that if I didn't toy with him a little bit. Hopefully he wouldn't be too made when I pulled away all the sudden.

Glancing up at Damon and making sure that his hands were still firmly planted on the wheel so that both our lives were not in danger, I managed to push his jeans further down his lap, which proved difficult considering he was sitting down. But I was in determined Elena mode and I usually got what I wanted in this stage. I was surprised that Damon had just not called it off already. Maybe he was as determined as I was to win this little game of mine.

"You can toy with me all you want Elena but I am not going to give. This is 168 years of keeping quiet during these situations coming to hand. Good luck, Sweet cheeks."

"But why would you have to keep quiet?" The intellectual part of me wanted to know more but that didn't stop me from multi-tasking and moving part of his boxers away, kissing the part of his bare waist that they had had once fell flat across. "Why would it matter?"

Damon sighed, like he had to explain this to young girls all the time. "Back in the ancient times it was considered almost rude to be loud during sexual intercourse."

I couldn't help but snort at this little fact. "Of course you have all the experience in the world at being quiet. I should have known I was going to get foiled sooner or later." I looked down at his lap. Damn! He didn't even look remotely aroused.

"Well, this is honesty going to be no fun if you aren't even going to be remotely affected by it. Maybe I should find someone who isn't so advanced in suppressing their male urges."

Damon chuckled. "Give it time, Elena. I'm sure your day will come. Pun intended."

I swatted his stomach. "Okay that was just inappropriate and un-called for. You should really give me some warning before you start spouting off innuendos like that. I don't know how it was in ancient times but now-a-days it's just crude."

Damon gave a light shrug of his shoulders. "Sorry, guess I'm not that advanced in suppressing that male urge. I'm not that changed."

I somehow managed to compose my strong instinct and slug him as hard as I could in the jaw and just settled in a heavy eye rolling. "Well, I can already tell you that you and your little friend here," I nodded to his lap, "aren't going to be very much fun this morning." I huffed, held back my major pout and sat in my seat the right way, readjusting my seatbelt. I stubbornly crossed my arms over my chest. "I was going to button your pants back up but now I don't think I will."

Damon muttered, "Oh, the horror of it all," and pulled his shirt back over the exposed patch of skin on his stomach. This just made me pout harder. You think that someone like Damon would be all over casual sex and then he decides that he wants to be the responsible one? Sheesh. It was hard keeping up with him sometimes.

Noticing that we were rounding the road to my house my heart suddenly seemed to be beating a million miles a minute. Okay, so maybe I wasn't ready for this. Maybe I should just bag it and put the lid back on before it was too late and beg for Damon to turn this darn car around already. But surely Aunt Jenna could hear this car approaching, even though the all the windows appeared to be closed despite the humid heat of the day. And she knows what this car sounds like. She just has to know that this is Damon.

"If I go down," I told Damon between clenched teeth as we came to a stop in front of the house. "Then I'm bringing you down with me. Are we clear, Salvatore?"

Damon just smiled and zipped his pants back up nonchalantly. "Peachy. Let's just hope that Jenna doesn't try to kill me with the nearest kitchen utensils." He got out and I followed him, closing the door to his car carefully. Maybe if I was extra quiet about this then it would buy me enough time to get the hell out of-

"Oh my God, Elena Clair Gilbert! You are in so much trouble!" I grimaced at Jenna's piercing voice that was almost hysterical with worry. I tried walking over to where Jenna was standing but she had run and met me halfway. "Do you even understand how close I was to calling the police? Do you even know what you put me through? What you put your brother through? Where the Hell were you? Your summer camp ended days ago! School just started and you don't have the decency to call me and tell me where you were? I can't believe this." Jenna paced back and forth, hands on her forehead.

I, on the other hand was enclosed with relief. So I had said that I was away at a summer camp. Now the rest of the explaining would come almost easy. But before I could tell Jenna to calm down and explain this whole mix up she was screaming again. Well, at least the neighbors would get a free show. I was glad I could make somebody happy this morning.

"And what is Damon doing with you? You hate him! And now suddenly he's driving you around?" Jenna's face was turning an ugly shade of purple.

I heard an annoyed scoff and then Damon's voice. "Hardly."

I was trying to send little telepathic daggers towards Damon. Telling him to please shut up before this turned to the point of no return. I was already in too deep for my liking.

"Jenna," I tried to make my voice as calm and reasonable as possible. Maybe this wasn't going to be so easy. "Please just come inside so we can talk. I can explain everything." She must have been pretty out of breath from her previous screeching because all she did was node her head, like the effort of anything else was too much to handle. I didn't know whether bringing Damon inside would make things better or worse. I chose the latter, so I just told him to stay put.

We made our way through the front lawn, onto the porch steps, in through the front door and that is where I stopped. Just around the corner I saw Jeremy lounging on the couch. I waved to him. It felt like forever since I had seen the kid even though it was about 4 weeks tops. To my immense surprise he waved back but there was a wicked looking grin on his face. He was happy to see me back but even happier to see me suffering for my actions. Same old Jeremy.

I was about to ask what I had missed when I was away when Jenna came storming into the living room, sitting on the couch.

"Leave." She told Jeremy in one simple pert sentence. He didn't need to be told twice and I didn't blame him. I would have been gone too. In fact I wish I was gone right now.

She turned on me as soon as he was gone. "I hope you have the time because you have a lot of explaining to do." It looked like some of the fire was gone from her eyes but it could have just been a trick of the light.

"Well," I began what I was thinking was going to be a long story. "After camp got done I just decided that I didn't want to go home just quite yet. And I wanted to spend some time with Stefan." I almost chocked on his name but managed to suppress it back down my throat. "I figured that since I had all my clothes and everything over there that I would just stay for a while. And the reason I couldn't call you was because the phones were down. Damon's car broke down and he just got it back yesterday, otherwise I would have come over and told you what was going on." And just for good measure I started to tear up a little bit. I had always thought myself a good actress and I took this time to congratulate myself on making up that story so quickly. "I'm so sorry, Aunt Jenna. I never meant for any of this to happen."

"I just don't get any of this, Elena. Why didn't you just come home first and then go stay with Stefan? At least then I would have known where you were."

"I don't know. I was just being an idiot and irresponsible and selfish." And this time when I said it I wasn't lying. I _was_ an idiot and I _was_ most definitely being irresponsible. A responsible person would have told Jenna about the vampire card a long time ago. "I guess I was just so caught up in what I wanted that I didn't realize what I was putting you through. But I swear that nothing like this will ever happen again. Not if I can help it at least." And there I went again; being deceitful. I knew better than anyone that there would probably be a time when I had to stay with someone who could protect me if another cracked- up vampire was on the loose. It was what you got when you pissed the paranormal off. It was what you deserved, but I never had a choice. I was born to be a beacon for the dead and the crazy! It wasn't my fault that I was put into the wrong bloodline.

"Well, I can definitely assure you that you will never be put into one of those damn summer camps ever again. They don't even teach you anything! All they do is give kids an excuse to get knocked up."

I couldn't help but smile and surpass a laugh at Jenna's directness. She really did have a child-like mind. It was like someone had placed this adolescent, pink bubble gum chewing, gossiping girl into the body of an older physique. "I'm glad you disapprove Jenna because I never want to go back to one of those things for as long as I live." And that was the truth, but I had a sense that maybe I wouldn't be able to help where I was put, even if it was make-believe.

"And do I even want to know why Damon just happens to be driving you here? The last time I checked you wanted to rip his heart out and then dance all over it." Jenna looked like she was trying to put up the 'concerned parent' façade but I knew that she was dying to hear what was going on. She was so unlike my mother that it wasn't even funny.

In my head I cracked my knuckles and my neck. Time for round two of the lying! Ding ding ding! "Yeah, well I didn't really want him to but Stefan was at an early dentist appointment and Damon just offered. He promised he would be on his best behavior." Something about my sentence seemed incorrect, probably because I couldn't imagine Stefan at the dentist. I could tell that Jenna was thinking the same thing because she was giving me an awfully lengthy and solid look. I was almost expecting her to jump up from her spot and scream 'Liar!' right in my face, but all she did was sit there and absently chew her lip.

"So have you forgiven him or something? Do I have to put him on the list of people that you are absolutely not allowed to see for as long as you live?"

I tried my best to scoff and wave a hand in her direction. "Please, I'll visit Damon on my own free will when alien robots start taking over the world. We didn't even talk to each other on the way over here." Yup, that's right. We did _a lot _more than talk. Well, at least I did. Damon just tried to prove to me how much more mature he was than me, so my outright seduction wasn't very impressive.

"I just really want you to know how I much I regret not trying to tell you where I was going to be. I truly never thought it would get this out of hand and I would do anything to take it back if I could.

This time I could most definitely see the fight draining from Jenna's eyes. Now she just looked sad. She reached over and put me in a bone-splinting hug that felt oddly comforting given the circumstances. "Oh, I was just so worried about you, Honey. I didn't know where you were or if someone had taken you. I'm just so glad you're okay."

From over Jenna's shoulder I could see Damon through the window. He was grinning and giving me a big thumbs up sign. I rolled my eyes and pulled back from Jenna's hug.

"And you have no clue how long you are grounded for. We are talking the mother of all groundings." Great, just when I thought I was out of the shark pit I get pulled back in. "And there is no way in heck that you will be spending any time at that Boarding House any time soon. You'll only see Stefan at school. That means no dates, no shopping, and no seeing your friends. You also get your cellphone taken away. You are to drive straight home after school and that is that. We'll see if a month is long enough for you." She put out a hand and I groaned as I pulled out my cell from the back pocket of my jeans.

It was obvious that Jenna didn't realize that I wasn't dating Stefan anymore and she definitely did not count on Damon coming through the window of my room anytime soon. Guess Damon would just have to do with my small bed and being quieter than usual tonight. At least we'll get to test that theory.

"I completely understand." Even though I really didn't. If she was so worried about me then why didn't she just come by and look in the Boarding House herself? "Can I at least go and get my stuff out of Dam-" I stopped myself. I had almost said Damon's room. "I mean can I at least go get my stuff. I promise to come straight back, no stops along the way."

Jenna almost looked like she was about to say no but after a while she complied. I made a show of rushing back out of the door and to Damon's car. I tried my best not to look like I was relieved when I saw him again. We were supposed to hate each other right now, not making goo-goo eyes at one another when we thought Jenna wasn't looking. Maybe my acting wasn't as sharp as I thought it was.

"Act natural," I said to Damon. "She's still watching us." I didn't relax my limbs until we were pulling out of Jenna's range of vision. "We have to hurry unless I want to have an early death wish. You think that being terrorized by sadistic vampires would make me less afraid of her but it really doesn't."

"You're a really good actress by the way. The crying was a little over the top though." Damon making fun of my really wasn't necessary (I already felt like crap) but I appreciated him trying to lighten the heavy mood with his annoying Salvatore charm. Some people never really learned.

I shrugged. "I did what I had to do. But the funny thing was she never said that I had to avoid you. Well, she brought it up but I pretended to hate you. So technically if you snuck in my window tonight that wouldn't be going against her wishes." I looked at Damon, hoping he got my not so subtle hint.

"But your bed is so small." He groaned

"Put a sock in it, Damon. You either take it or leave it." I already knew what the answer was. Of course he was going to say yes.

"Well, of course I'm going to say yes." He paused for a while, looking at me from above his sunglasses. "I just have to tell you that not so good news we were talking about earlier. That might ruin the mood for you though so don't be so surprised when I tell you, okay?"

"I'm pretty sure that I will be fine, Damon. We've been through a lot of crap and a little bad news never hurt anyone." I sounded confident but inside I was nervously awaiting the news. It couldn't be good if even Damon looked bothered by it.

He spoke softly, almost to himself. "Alright, just don't shoot the messenger."

I looked at Damon from the corner of my eye, hoping to catch a sign of what it was he was talking about. Bu there wasn't anything. "This isn't about Stefan is it?" I could have sworn that I saw his stiffen and his jaw clench, but when I turned to face him he was back to his lounging state. Maybe I really was seeing things. "You would tell me if it was, wouldn't you?"

"I told you that I'll tell you tonight. In that extremely small bed of yours. Hope Jeremy doesn't hear anything. Young ears really should be guarded by such adult things."

This time I did punch Damon.

When we reached the house I all but flung myself out of the car and through the door of the Boarding House. I made sure to remind myself that I wouldn't be seeing this for a long time. Not if Jenna didn't trust me enough to walk out the front door of our own house. In Damon's room everything was how I left it…sadly. In times like this I wish that I wasn't such a slob. My room sure didn't look like this. Maybe this just had to do with what Damon was talking about. Perhaps he really had tarnished me.

I absently started picking up free clothes that were strewn across the floor and putting it in the small suitcase I had brought when I first knew I was staying here. All of Damon's clothes that were also covering the floor I managed to carelessly place on his bed. If I knew I was coming back here and staying then I would have just placed everything in the washer and dryer. But I knew that I wasn't coming back soon and that hit me kind of hard. I was used to this house and all of its rooms and complicated turns and twists. I think that I would even miss the stairs where I had tripped frequent times and almost managed to get killed. See, I didn't need the vampires to know that I was going to die young. I just had myself to worry about.

I was looking under Damon's bed for many missing and torn undergarments when I head Damon come in and place his keys on his desk. "Is there a reason you look like you're never going to see this room again? Jenna is going to let you have your freedom back sooner or later. I know Jenna's type. They can never really stick to the idea…but they do make good company."

I nodded, thinking that Damon somehow managed to insult Jenna and compliment her all in one sentence. "Yeah, I know." I straightened up and dusted my hands against my jeans. "I guess I just feel guilty that she doesn't know about you and me or even Stefan." I hadn't realized how true those words were until I said them. It wasn't fair to keep Jenna in the dark all the time. These lies were going to get the best of me one day. "Do you think I should tell her?" I walked over to the dresser and avoided my reflection, scooping up an armful of cosmetics and throwing them into my overflowing suitcase. "Or do you think I should wait for the right time?" was there even a right time?

Damon didn't respond. I didn't even hear him walk over to me, so when he put his arms around my waist and his chin on the top of my head I gave a little surprised jump. "I think," he whispered into my ear. "That you should tell her tonight when I come over."

I blanched at his idea. "You just want to hear me get yelled at twice in one day." I turned around in his arms and pushed him firmly in his chest, causing him to stumble a little towards the bed. "And if you think you're getting any tonight then you should really reconsider. I think you should just come over tonight to tell me this horrible news that I can tell you've been begging to tell me ever since this morning."

Damon sat on the edge of his bed and watched as I trailed into the bathroom. It was a relief seeing that there wasn't nearly that much stuff in here that I thought there was. I was running out of room. When I walked back into his view I could see an admirably cute crease in between his eyes, his nose wrinkled up like he smelt something bad.

I started to flatten my luggage down and try to zip the suitcase up; noticeably ignoring the face he was making and pretending he hadn't done anything in the first place. "Unless you aren't going to tell me. In that case then you won't be seeing the inside of my bedroom for the rest of your long life."

"That is probably the scariest thing you have said to me since I've met you."

I reached into my back pocket when I remembed that my phone had been jacked by a concerned parent. I groaned. "We better go before Jenna thinks I managed to escape to China or something."

Damon grabbed the hefty bag from my hand and sauntered out of the door before me, waiting until I was out and then closing it behind him.

"I really hope Jenna doesn't try to kill me when I tell her that the boy I'm dating just happens to be the one person I hate the most in the world."

"So you are going to tell her." It wasn't a question and I had full access to Damon's sneer.

"Yup, so that is exactly why when I die you are going to say very nice things at my funeral. If you don't then you better believe I will come back from my grave just to tell you all the nasty things I found out about you over these past weeks. Including that time in 1971 where this random girl thought you were stalking her so she called the cops. She said that you were a crazy male stripper on drugs…"

"In my defense I actually had dappled in some pole dancing."

_Oh God, my hands are severely cramped from all this typing. I think I might actually need surgery. I really hope that this chapter made up for some of the hard feelings I am sure that some of you might have developed for me over this time period. And how excited are you guys for the season 3 premier of Vampire diaries? The first episode Elena is turning 18! And I even heard from a certain Ian Somerhalder on Twitter that Damon will also be getting naked…for like the billionth time! And do we have any Teen Wolf fans here? I sure do like that show for some odd reason. It must be something about the paranormal. Make sure to review and make my frown turn upside down _

_ Love, Eden…_


	4. Moonlight Memories

_Well, would you look at that? I actually managed to update! And I think to celebrate I will now go read BadBoysAreBest and Temptress- Kitten17's most amazing stories. I know…I spoil myself too much sometimes. And by the way, this morning I found out that during Comic Con for Vampire Diaries there was a 6 second clip of Elena walking in on Damon in the shower… completely naked and all soapy. That's right ladies. It's going to be a big season alright._

I always remember there being a time when I thought that night was the greatest magic that the world had to offer. The time when the sun finally dipped behind the mountains and covered the atmosphere with brilliant shades of pinks, oranges and yellow's, and the moon peeked its way into the sky. The moments where I would hold my Mother's hand as we paraded in sync with each other, one little toddler's foot next to a larger and much more practiced one, one that had seen the world for its good and its bad, as we danced around that old Sycamore tree that we conveniently named Old Smokey and caught fireflies in glass jars with holes stabbed in the top. Or the time I was taken on my very first camping trip with my Father. I remember feeling so safe and content with myself when we played flashlight tag from behind tree's as tall as the world and stayed up half the night just gawking at the stars, trying to see who could discover the Little Dipper the fastest. Dad always won, but he seemed to find it humorous when he swore that I spotted it first.

Jeremy was born late in the evening, much to my enthusiasm. I was three at the time and I vowed to him as soon as I placed my eyes on his chocolate ones that I would show him just how great the night was, and that he needn't be afraid. Because I was there and my Father and Mother were there and that was all he needed. Everything was wonderful and nighttime was the most anticipated part of my day. I couldn't wait to journey in my bed after a warm, vanilla scented bath and look outside while my Mother brushed my hair. I had snubbed getting it cut and when it finally got in the way of when I sat down she insisted. I bawled that day, recalling viewing my hair as it fell to the floor in little tufts. When the Stylist swept it up with a brush I just remember wailing harder. For some odd reason I thought I could keep the hair for my own, even though it wasn't devoted to me anymore.

I also remember one of the poems my Mother would tell me every night. She continuously tried to talk me into another one; a different one, but I was hooked. I worshipped the ode and yet she still tried to no avail. The poem was a part of my childhood and I intended to tell it to my child, too.

It went like this:

Nature's first green is gold,  
Her hardest hue to hold.  
Her early leafs a flower;  
But only so an hour.  
Then leaf subsides to leaf.  
So Eden sank to grief,  
So dawn goes down to day.  
Nothing gold can stay.

I always fathomed the reason I adored the verses so much was because it prompted me to stay humble; it told me that nothing you loved more than life itself could stay with you, no matter what it was.

And now I could honorably say that this poem was the truest thing I had come to having my fortune told. My parents, who I _had_ respected and loved more than any silly old tale, were now gone. Because nothing gold can stay and that is just how life is. Your entire group of loved ones will eventually die and the most delicious pie in the world will soon be gone…the prized petunias growing in your backyard will be dried and falling apart. It is the circle of life but that doesn't mean it makes it any less hard.

After my parents died I found that instead of the night welcoming me like a giant, invisible pull it began to mock me; began to laugh at my very being. It questioned why I was alive when everyone I ever adored was dead. I tried to coax myself in to believing that even though my life was now surrounded by death that I could still evoke my love for the night. But it didn't work, it never did. I would walk home faster from the library when I got done studying late, not even glancing in the direction of the delicate and gossamer fountain that was positioned out in front of it. I just wanted to get home fast so that the blackness would not bring up the memoirs of the worthy times I had with my family; the times I could no longer have now that Jeremy was placed in his own little bubble of defeatism. Instead of naturally agreeing to all the sleepovers, late night gatherings and bonfires that my friends and class-mates had to offer, I found myself declining to every single one of them, terrified that people would see I wasn't the same fun-loving, easy-going and loveable Elena Gilbert everyone grew up with. I was the new Elena Gilbert that was petrified by the thought of facing the darkness that the world brought up.

What I once loved, I now despised.

And it didn't cease there. Instead of just being damaged for life because the darkness brought up happy memories I couldn't handle, I now had to worry about the vampires with their gleaming fangs and the ability to kill you without blinking or you even realizing what was going on until it was too late. I had to watch my back in case any werewolf's decided they wanted to make a midnight snack out of me or some pissed of witch wanted to tear me limb from limb just by using her mind.

I guess the reality was that the world was growing up, turning into an unpleasant territory, and I wasn't.

And tonight was no exception. I was nervously flitting around the room, tidying up whatever I could find for no reason what so ever. Figuring out that a major case of OCD flared up when I was nervous or anticipating something was probably the least of my worries right now. I was about to spill the beans about Damon and I. I didn't really know what cleaning my room was going to do, maybe I thought it would lessen the blow if I told Jenna in a clean sanctuary, but it sure seemed to help a little bit. My hands had finally stopped shaking and that was very good improvement. Earlier it felt like I couldn't breathe and after chanting to myself that I was just overreacting I managed to settle myself down.

God, it wasn't like I was going into war or something. I was only going to tell my Aunt and parental guardian that I was now dating my vampire ex-boyfriends vampire brother and sleeping with him. Nothing weird at all as far as I could tell. Just another day in the life of me. I hoped Damon knew how ludicrous this all was. When Jenna went after him with a chainsaw I wasn't going to stop her. Served him right anyway.

I was having one of the those moments where I wished that my Mom was actually hear, standing next to me and telling me what to do. What would she make out of all this? Would I honestly have told her right from the beginning that there were such things as vampires and that I was dating one? Even if she didn't she would still understand the boy problems I seem to keep on having. I already knew that she would have liked Damon better anyway. She always had that rebellious streak and that witty fire in her that seemed so much like Damon's that I couldn't help but laugh at some times. They were always trying to be the hero and sometimes they succeeded and other times they fell flat. They _always_ had an opinion, whether it was asked for or not, and there tongues had a funny way of constantly getting them in trouble. But they were brave, strong types of people, if a bit confusing and hard to place. Not everybody was used to their bluntness and the way they saw the world. So, yeah. I guess I knew Damon's type long before I even met him.

But Jenna? She was a completely different story. She was almost exactly like my Mom, the same fire and wit, but where my Mom loved the tough boy attitude, Jenna just seemed to despise it. Mom always used to say that it was because Jenna had been burned by so many of those rebellious men that she had sworn them off for good. So somewhere deep inside Jenna she was reminded by those men whenever she saw, talked to or even heard Damon's name. And that may not seem very fair (it's my life, so why can't I do what I want?) but maybe Jenna just wants me to look out for myself so that I don't make the same mistakes she did. But I doubt that Damon is even half the sleaze-bag her many boyfriends were.

The desk that held my diary was dusted and ready for whatever was going to go down tonight when I heard a soft tap on my window. Wonderful. The wrongdoer himself. Infect, I almost contemplated just not letting him in but when I looked at his eyes…I was gone. Way to be strong, Gilbert.

I carefully slid the window open, trying to make as little noise as possible so Jenna wouldn't have an excuse to come up earlier than I had planned.

When Damon bounded over the window sill, landing with a soft thud at my feet, he gave me an expecting grin. "Nice prison cell you got here. Mmm… the bed is even smaller than I remember." He leaned over and almost caught me in a kiss when I remembered that there was no fooling around tonight. This was series business and I could not afford to be distracted right now.

"Yeah," I said, making a show of dodging his lips and the hand creeping to my thigh. "Well you're not going to be testing that out tonight. You're the one who wanted me to tell Jenna in the first place. Why are you suddenly being the responsible one?" Making up for dissing him so pointedly, I grabbed his hand and led him over to my bed. I pushed him down. Technically this wasn't fooling around. I just wanted to get his full and undivided attention.

"Whoa, what are you do-" I cut him off with a kiss to the hollow in his throat, my tongue dipping and then nipping it slightly, probably breaking the skin more than I meant to. But Damon doesn't complain. I spread his thighs apart and settled in between them, wondering if he was going to do anything while this was going on. He didn't do anything though, much to my relief. He seemed to know that I just wanted to grab his attention. The only way to do this was to give him a preview of what he sought. He mostly resembled a puppy with a one track mind and I briefly wondered if he had ADD as a human; maybe even ADHD. He sure seemed like the compulsive type. Just like my Mom was.

My fingers hunted down the buckle to his belt as my lips were busy probing his, wanting a response, and hearing the satisfying clank of metal as it was undone. I pulled him closer by the loops in his jeans, our hips pressing together and even then I could feel how hard he was, and pushed his black shirt up above his heaving stomach. And yet, he hadn't said a word, not one little moan just in case Jenna would hear. This boy was good. I kissed a trail from his sternum to the skin that met up with the edge of his jeans, unsnapping them and pulling the zipper down with teeth. And this is where it had turned in to a competition. Instead of just doing this to grab his focus, I did it because I was going to make him moan; make him give me a satisfying response. He was going to break the stone wall barrier that he called 'experience.'

His jeans were pooled to the floor before he could protest, probably wanting to say something along the lines of 'you have to talk to Jenna!' but I wasn't going to let him get a word in this time. I could tell he was going to give in, could tell that he was trying so hard just to keep his mouth shut by clamping on his bottom lip so hard that he drew blood. His Boxer-briefs were slowly inching its way down. I tried to convey to him with my eyes that all he had to do was say something, moan, whimper, whatever the vampires _do_ and then I would stop and go talk to Jenna. The faster I did that then the faster we could just finish what we had started. But still, his mouth was in a tight line and his eyes were squeezed shut, as if he was trying to block from his memory what I was about to do.

Before I pulled the Boxers completely off, I nipped at his sharply defined pelvic bone and traced it all the way to his belly button, the trail of dark hair disappearing into his Boxer's tickling my chin. I stopped; sucking on the sensitive spot just under the hard muscle at his waist that I knew was his sweet spot. And now all I had to do was inch the damned underwear off and grab between his legs until he-

"Okay, okay! You win. I give in!" The tone Damon gave me was satisfying enough. He sounded winded, like he had just run a whole marathon without stopping for a drink.

I wiped my mouth with the back of my sleeve and gave him a big grin, not even caring that he practically yelled all this at me. I patted the noticeable hardness between his legs, watched him squirm from the contact, and whispered, "Years of experience my ass."

He grumbled incoherent sentences to no one in particular as he stood on shaky feet and readjusted his shirt and put his jeans back on his slim hips, wincing as he buttoned them up. It must be uncomfortable to be a horny dude wearing jeans. It sure looked like it was uncomfortable. The thought of this causing Damon displeasure made me happy all over again. I was going to take my time talking to Jenna just so I could drag it out for him. Then we'll see how he likes it.

"Oh," I suddenly said. "Was there a reason you came here?"

Damon looked at me with disbelief. "Well, I was going to say good luck with Jenna and maybe get a kiss or two but instead it turned out into a whole sex-a-thon." Oh, whoops. Maybe he wasn't trying to compete with me. Oh well. One point for me! He turned away from me, a wild look in his hazy blue eyes. "I'm going to go take a cold shower. Have fun with Jenna and try not to make her too mad."

"So, you're _not _going to hide in the closet? That is what I had originally planned."

He started at me like I had suddenly sprouted wings on my forehead. "You wanted me to what?"

I shrugged indifferently. "Hide in my closet. That way you would be able to hear all the stuff she says so I won't have to repeat it to you later. It makes sense." Why was he still staring at me like that?

"Don't you think that would be a little creepy?" Damon's eyebrows scrunch up at the middle, looking like the worlds most confused vampire.

"Creepier than you climbing up my window to see me?" I chuckle, a light settling sound that bounds off the corners of my room and back to my ears.

Damon's eyes narrow and he points an accusing finger at me. "I get what you're doing." He shakes the finger. "You're just trying to distract me so you can buy time and not have to talk to Jenna."

I lift my shoulders again but I can't help the small smile edging on my lips. Had all his male testosterone gone straight to his head? He was acting like he didn't have a brain. "I think you better go before you say something really stupid, Damon." I gave him a little push towards the window. "I'll call you when I'm done and don't fall out that window."

Damon rolled his eyes, seeming more like his old self. "I'm not a complete moron." And with that he was gone.

Maybe I really should have let him stay in the closet. I felt alone and uncomfortable and awfully scared in this position. But then again, I was strong! I could take on vampires and just about everything else under the sun and I could completely just take on one parent. No biggie. But I still had this nagging feeling that maybe Damon should have just compelled her into thinking that she was completely okay with the idea of Damon dating me. But that was absurd. I could never do that and live with the nagging guilt forever bordering my conscience. I would do this even if it killed me. Well, at least I hoped it didn't.

Before I could talk myself out of this, I marched down the stairs, acting like the most confident person I could think of. And that would be Damon himself. I turned the corner and stood in the living room where Jeremy and Jenna lounged on the sofa, watching some dumb cop show, both of them completely unaware of my raising pulse. I cleared my throat and tried to get the attention of anyone who was willing to listen to me in my time of need. Jenna turned towards me and Jeremy just sat still, his eyes glued to the racing police and bright lights.

I rolled my eyes at his reaction. He was such a boy sometimes. I hesitantly turned back over to Jenna's face, calm and patient. "Can I -uh- talk to you for one sec?"

She smiled, flashing her perfect white teeth. "Sure, just come and sit down." She patted the spot next to her. Yeah right. Because I totally wanted Jeremy in on this conversation. Over my dead body.

I shifted nervously and jerked my thumb over my shoulder. "Alone? Can I talk to you alone, please?" The hesitation in her eyes was clear but she stood anyway and walked close by me. Jeremy didn't even notice. I led the way to my room, each step heavy, as if I were walking to my own grave or going to confess of the horrible murder I committed. Shutting the door behind me quietly, I turned to Jenna.

"I think you might want to sit down for this one." I took a seat from my desk chair and faced her as she sat on the edge of my bed. The clock that clicked digitally seemed to be making the most noise right now. "Do you remember how Mom met Dad?"

Jenna looked like she was going to object to the question by the way her face paled but she quickly recovered and cleared her throat. "She was dating this one guy; I think his name was Samuel Tockett, who had the scholarship to Harvard. But Samuel had a best friend, your Dad, and when he was introduced to your Mom by Samuel it was love at first sight. But nobody told Samuel about that and your Mom and Dad were secretly seeing each other behind his back. Nobody had the nerve to tell the poor guy or anybody else. Your Father was considered," she coughed into her sleeve slightly before continuing. "a rebel. He would skip classes and had this horrible tendency to keep getting himself in trouble even though everyone knew he meant well. Even I knew. But when Samuel found out that they were going behind his back he tried to do horrible things to break them up. He sabotaged your Mom's acceptance to an Ivy-league collage and tried to frame a store robbery on your Father. But in the end they all lived happily ever after, together forever, even now." She smiled as if in fond remembrance and then her lips slowly formed into a frown again. "And why are you asking me this exactly."

I couldn't even muster the energy to put on a fake smile for her. So I didn't answer her. "Did you approve of the relationship? I mean, she was a good girl in most ways and he was so different from her. He was the bad boy. Did that bother you?"

"Well," she shrugged. "Of course it did at first but it was out of my hands. They were in love. What kind of person would I be to try and break them up?"

"Probably a Samuel. So, what you're saying is that as long as the two people really like each other it doesn't matter where they come from or what they act like?"

Jenna nodded her head and crossed her feet at the ankles. "Yup, pretty much. The heart wants what the heart wants. You can't tell someone who they have to love. Then it's not even love anymore."

I smiled at her answer. Maybe Jenna was exactly the person who would understand my predicament.

"So…would you care to explain what brought all of this on? You couldn't have just thought to ask me how they met right at this very minute."

I shook my head. "No, you're right. There is something I have to tell you. I just don't know how hard you're going to take it. Just promise me that before you judge me just hear what I have to say in my defense."

Her arms crossed over her chest. "You're not like…pregnant are you?"

I stared at her in horror. Who did she think I was? At least I had chosen the smart thing and gone with the guys who couldn't reproduce. That had to count for something, right? "Oh, God no. Not until I'm like 25, Jenna. Jeez."

She outstretched her hands, as if she were surrendering herself. "Hey, when teenage girls say they want a 'private talk' it usually means there knocked up and/or have some rare STD."

I wanted to face palm myself right in the forehead. This talk was not going in the direction I hoped it would. "Alright, I'm just gonna come out and say it." Jenna nodded, signaling me to continue on with myself. "I'm…going out with…Damon. As in Damon Salvatore. As in Stefan's big brother Damon Salvatore."

If I thought that her face had blanched before now she was just a ghostly pale figure in a soft brown cotton dress. "You saying that almost makes me want to take away everything I said about love having no limits. How is this even possible? When did you even decide that _he_ could be the one for you? He's like 6 years older than you, Elena!"

I flinched at that sentence. I was always very touchy feely when it came to that subject. Technically, he was about 150 years older than me but why dwell? Age was just a number. "I can't explain it right now, Jenna. I don't know how it happened or what changed my mind but all I know is that I want it to work. I want it to work more than anything in the world. Just let me be happy. Please, can you at least do that for me? I know that every time you see him you want to kick him where it hurts but if you just give him a chance I think you'll really find out that you like him-"

I was quickly shut up by a hand waving in front of my face. "Fine, if this is what you want then take it. Take it and run and never look back. But if you get kicked to the curb don't come crying to me. This is your warning, Elena. I hope you're not making one of the biggest mistakes of your life right here." She stood and roughly shut the door behind her.

_Yeah, so do I. _I thought.

Okay, actually got this update done! Score! Please review. They are my guilty pleasure…

Love Eden


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